154 OF INSTINCT. SECT. XVI. fr 



animal get upon its feet, and walk ; then it fhook 

 itfelf, and afterwards fcratched its fide with one of 

 its feet : then we faw it fmelling to every one of 

 thefe things, that were fet in the room; and 

 when it had fmelt to them all, it drank up the 

 milk." L. 6. de locis. cap. 6. 



Parturient quadrupeds, as cats, and bitches, and 

 fows, are led by their fenfe of fmell to eat the pla- 

 centa as other common food ; why then do they 

 not devour their whole progeny, as is reprefented 

 in an antient emblem of TIME ? This is faid fome- 

 times to happen in the unnatural ftate in which we 

 confine fows ; and indeed nature would feem to 

 have endangered her offspring in this nice circum- 

 flance ! But at this time the ftimulus of the milk 

 in the tumid teats of the mother excites her to 

 look out for, and to defire fome unknown circum- 

 flance to relieve her. At the fame time the fmell 

 of the milk attracts the exertions of the young 

 , animals towards its fource, and thus the delighted 

 mother difcovers a new appetite, as mentioned in 

 Seel:. XIV. 3. and her little progeny are led to re- 

 ceive and to communicate pleafure by this mod 

 beautiful contrivance. 



VI. But though the human fpecies in fome of 

 their fenfations are much inferior to other animals, 

 yet the accuracy of the fenfe of touch, .which they 

 poflefs in fo eminent a degree, gives them a great 

 Superiority of underftanding ; as is well obferved 

 by the ingenious Mr. Buffon. The extremities of 

 other animals terminate in horns, and hoofs, and 

 claws, very unfit for the fenfation of touch; 

 whilft the human hand is finely adapted to encom- 

 pafs its object with this organ of fenfe. 

 * ' The 



